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Now that we are nearly two months into 2009, it is time to take
inventory of the goals we want to accomplish. What do you want to
complete in the coming months? Are you looking to read more books to your
children, improve your health through more time on the treadmill, or
re-evaluate your financial and estate plans to make sure you and your
family are protected for the future?
Through my conversations with clients, co-workers and friends, we
often talk about the impact our economy is having on companies and
employees — specifically their investment plans. This has forced many to
focus on short-term goals of day-to-day perseverance. While this is
needed, I urge you to not lose sight of what is important for your
business and employees long-term. I encourage you to remind employees
about the resources and benefits they have to protect themselves and
their futures — such as estate
planning through their ARAG legal plan.
We value the opportunity to partner with your organization. Please
don't hesitate to let us know if there is any way we can help you or your
employees during these challenging times.
Sincerely,
Ann W. Dieleman
SVP, Chief Marketing Officer
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Did you
know...70 percent of Americans do not have a Will? 1
Are you and your employees prepared if the unthinkable happens?
It is always difficult to plan for things that may happen in the
future. But, preparation is key to being protected. As a part of most
ARAG legal plans, employees are offered legal solutions to assist them
with their Estate Planning matters. Estate Planning gives you and your
employees the ability to allocate your possessions to the right people
and express your wishes. Without Estate Planning documents, your desires
may not be carried out the way you would have wanted.
Estate
Planning can include any or all of the following:
- Will: A document in which you
specify what is to be done with your property when you die and name
your executor. You can also use your Will to name a guardian for
your children.
- Living Will: A written document that
contains your wishes regarding the use of extraordinary life-support
or other life-sustaining medical treatment when your condition is
medically without hope of recovery or death is imminent.
- Powers of Attorney: A document that gives
another person legal authority to act on your behalf. If you create
such a document, you are called the principal, and the person to
whom you give this authority is called your attorney-in-fact. If you
make a durable power of attorney, the document will continue in
effect even if you become incapacitated.
- Trusts: A legal entity created
either during your lifetime (an inter vivos trust) or by your Will
(a testamentary trust), that holds property managed by a trustee for
the benefit of a third person (beneficiary).
Your plan probably includes some or all of these — allowing your
employees to protect their family and their assets.
How We Help
Your Legal Plan Members with Estate Planning
Our award-winning Customer Care Center will help your members learn
what options are available to obtain covered legal services. To learn
more about Estate Planning matters, members may login to the Legal
Benefits Web Site for Members and review a wide range of articles on the
Law Guide.
For more
information about estate planning services, what your legal plan covers
or adding additional coverages to your plan, contact Lola Ngatia
toll-free at 800-888-4184 x346.
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Check out the
tools and resources designed for your employees — place them on your
Intranet or in a newsletter to educate your employees on legal issues
that may affect them.
This quarter we feature an estate planning article, What You Need to Ask Yourself When Planning
Your Estate, which provides your employees with the top things to
consider when planning their estates. Legal plan members also have the
opportunity to receive LawExpressoTM,
our quarterly member e-newsletter. Encourage members to sign-up for this
free educational resource on their Legal Benefits Web Site.
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ARAG Client
Managers answer the questions that are on your mind. Have a question of
your own? Submit it to Client.Management@ARAGgroup.com.
Q: Do new
plan members need their ARAG Legal Benefits ID Cards to use their legal
plan?
A:
After enrolling in an ARAG legal plan, new plan members will receive two
ARAG Legal Benefits Cards within their New Member Welcome Kit. The ID
cards help them remember their ID, which can be shown to Network Attorneys
to confirm membership in the plan. If a member hasn't received this kit
or has misplaced the ID cards, the member can contact our Customer Care
Center to begin using the plan. The Customer Care Specialist will verify
membership using the member's name along with the member's Employee ID
Number (EIN) or Social Security Number (SSN).
Q: Why are
there two rates on my policy or why is my policy showing a rate less than
my monthly premium?
A:
Premium for your legal plan is broken down by insurance and service based
on the coverage and the state of the policy situs. Your policy only
contains the insurance premium, and the service plan contains any service
portion of the plan that is not considered insurance.
Q: It seems
my links to the ARAG Legal Benefits Web Site are broken. How do I ensure
the web address we are using is accurate?
A:
To make sure you have the correct web address, contact your Client Manager.
Now is a great time to review your online links and bookmarked pages to
be sure employees are directed to the appropriate web site.
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ARAG Again
Earns Certification as Center of Excellence
The ARAG Customer Care Center has again earned certification as a
Center of Excellence from BenchmarkPortal, a leading call center
benchmarking organization, in 2008. ARAG outperformed the norm in earning
certification for the second time, having also qualified in 2007.
To be considered for certification, a company must excel in several
key metrics, including abandonment rate, average speed of answer, hold
and talk time, training hours for the staff, plan member satisfaction and
call center representative satisfaction. All metrics are benchmarked against
both peers and the entire database.
Read more in our Newsroom.
In the next
issue, learn more about everyday legal issues and how they impact different
generations
within your workforce.
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1 Association of Estate Planners and Councils, Wills 101:
Everything You Know But Don't Want to Think About. June 1, 2006.
2 Strange Laws. www.strangefacts.com.
Adapted December 2007.
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